The importance of measuring advertising reach and effect is known. Internet advertisers routinely pay more for an advertisement when an ad results in a click-through or a subsequent purchase. The accurate monitoring of advertising delivery becomes more important as the competition for scarce advertising dollars increases.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,034 describes a system for embedding code signals in audio/video (“a/v”) advertising for use in a mall or discotheque. The start and stop times associated with the code signals being played are recorded. A comparison of the audio played through the speakers with the audio presented to the sound system further confirm the presentation of the a/v advertising.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,273 describes a system for monitoring broadcast signals for their audio and visual quality. The programs are encoded with a recurring identification code for confirming the correct content is broadcast.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,999 describes a system for extracting characters from closed captioned information in a television broadcast to confirm the presence of a commercial in a broadcast program.
The increased use of TIVO™ and other digital video recorders allows users to postpone or eliminate viewing commercials. So called “pop-under” Internet advertising may result in ads technically being on a screen but that may never actually be visible. The increase in the number of media outlets and the pervasiveness of advertising contrasted with increasing consumer savvy and tools for managing advertising overload create a need for a system and method for measuring presentation data exposure.